Featured Author - March 2009

Jane Lindskold

Jane Lindskold earned a doctorate in English at the age of 26. Rather than settle into an academic career, she began writing fantasy and science-fiction stories and novels, and never turned back. The author of the well-known Firekeeper Saga, Lindskold has since written 19 novels, including her most recent, Thirteen Orphans (2008, Tor Books), in which magical beings take the form of Chinese zodiacal animals to defend themselves and those they love. She spoke with Don Waters from her Albuquerque home.

Q: What is it about fantasy fiction that seems to speak to so many people, especially in these turbulent times?

A: I think fantasy fiction has always spoken to people. Fantasy, or speculative fiction, lets you take a look at the world from the outside. Mythical fiction speaks to the soul. Human beings are dreamers and mythmakers. It’s far from being frivolous, light, and escapist. If you look around, many of the most popular books, movies, and video games are based on science fiction and fantasy. I think that says something about us.

What’s your opinion about the fantasy and science-fiction community in Albuquerque?

It’s been long established. I moved to New Mexico in 1994, and I still feel like a new member. Bubonicon [the New Mexico Science Fiction Convention, run by the Albuquerque Science Fiction Society] will have its 41st convention this year. Nearly 500 people attended. It’s an active and vital part of the local literary community. As a nonprofit, they also help raise money for local charities every year.

Is your writing influenced by the Southwest at all?

Oh yes, of course. I’ve set a good number of stories, both short and long, in the Southwest. My novel Changer is set in Santa Fe and Albuquerque. In Thirteen Orphans, one of the main characters lives in Santa Fe and works in a clothing store off the Plaza.

What about the folklore from around the region—are you intrigued by these tales?

I wrote one short story called “Out of Hot Water,” set at the hot springs at Ojo Caliente, about the Pueblo legend of the woman who’s supposed to live in the hot springs. That story fascinated me. In Changer, one of my characters is a coyote, which is a major trickster motif from around the region. A lot of local lore interests me, but whether or not I’ll use it is a matter of respect because these are living cultures. When I use a culture in my writing, I try to use it in a respectful fashion.

Tell me how you came to writing.

I’m the eldest of four children, and I’ve always told stories. I made up games. But I can’t say for sure when I started writing the stories down. I’ve just always told stories.

Do you have any advice for young writers of fantasy fiction?

Write, and then keep writing. You will write thousands of pages before you get to something publishable. As for the fantasy genre, do a lot of research, because the story needs to be consistent. One of the most frequent seminars at science-fiction conferences is about world building. A lot of research is required.

Santa Fe–based writer Don Waters is the author of the short-story collection Desert Gothic.

More about Thirteen Orphans from the book jacket: "Their ancestors came to Earth as exiles from the Lands Born from Smoke and Sacrifice, which had been mysteriously formed from the lost lore of Imperial China. Concealing their magic in the game of mah-jong, the Thirteen Orpans vowed to protect their adopted world from the strife they left behind. Generations later, the war they thought long over has followed the Orphans to Earth. Scattered, their traditions in disarray, and with the magical abilities of some Orphans already disabled, the survivors must act quickly to defend themselves and those they love."

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